


the things you don’t even tell your best friend

by Lynn1998



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Kuroo is a full time student and Kenma is a twitch streamer, M/M, kenma is also loney, twitch streamer au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 15:31:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19466902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynn1998/pseuds/Lynn1998
Summary: Kuroo has a full schedule filled with classes and going out. Kenma stays home most of the time. Therefore, he gets lonely…





	the things you don’t even tell your best friend

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t normally write kuroken but I binged all of Sugestive Scribe’s haikyuu stories and I forgot how much I love them aaaaaaa
> 
> Also it’s been a long time since I’ve watched Haikyuu so sorry if this isn’t exactly true to character ;-;

“Kenma?”

“Yes, Kuro?”

It was a calm and normal afternoon. They were doing what they normally would when they both weren’t preoccupied with classes or practice or extra plans with other friends. Kenma was on his switch, and Kuroo was bothering him instead of doing his homework. After six months of living together outside of their dorms it seemed like the natural thing to settle into. Despite that, there were parts that still took time to fit.

“What do you do when I’m at class and you’re not at class?” He asked. Hazel eyes watched carefully at his reaction. Kenna pursed his lips for a second before he blinked. Other than that, no reaction.

“I do what I do when you’re not at class and I’m not at class,” he answered simply.

“Play video games and do your homework?” He questioned raising a brow. Kenma gave a single nod to confirm.

“Yes.”

“Oh…well that’s not very exciting,” he sighed and flopped his head back on his couch.

“What were you hoping I would say?”

“I dunno. Maybe host cock fighting,” Kuroo said with a crooked smile. Kenma wrinkled his nose. 

“Crude…”

“Y’know…with chickens?”

“I know what it means, Kuro.” Kuroo chuckled. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I’m going to the library tonight to work with my study group. I knew I’d be out while you’re home, so I just just curious.” Kenma hummed and the edge of his mouth tugged down into a frown.

“I thought we planned on a movie tonight,” he said. Kuroo frowned.

“Was that tonight? I’m sorry, I thought we said tomorrow night.”

“We said tomorrow night yesterday which means tonight today,” Kenma explained. “But it’s okay. We can watch it tomorrow night.”

“No, I have class tomorrow night. I can cancel tonight,” Kuroo assured him. Kenma finally looked up from his game.

“That’s unnece-“

“Ah, I didn’t even want to go,” Kuroo insisted as he sent a text to his study group. “They’ll hate me, but I didn’t like them either.” He gave Kenma a wide grin and Kenma blinked at him. He then looked back at his console to find the words “Game Over” plastered over the screen.

“Oh, I died…”

“Oops,” Kuroo got up. “I’ll make the popcorn this time to make up for it!” He called from the kitchen. Kenma sighed and turned his switch off and set it to the side. He would accept that for the time being.

They watched a documentary. It was one Kuroo found on Netflix, and Kenma was somewhat looking forward to it. Unfortunately they were both disappointed by how misleading the title was, and eventually shut it off and turned on something else. After finishing their movie and their popcorn, they decided to head to their separate rooms and sleep. Kuroo fell asleep immediately while Kenma stayed up much later on his DSi. It was, once again, another part that just fit naturally with them.

The next day Kenma had a class in the morning. When he came back they shared a couple hours together before Kuroo had to leave. He had two classes that day. One in the afternoon, and one in the evening. That meant that Kenma had a good six hours to himself, and he had that six hours guaranteed every Wednesday.

“Are you sure you’re good being alone for such a long time?” Kuroo asked.

“You’ve never worried about it before,” Kenma pointed out.

“I know…but I guess I didn’t really think about it before.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean, I get that you like you’re alone time, but at the same time you say you don’t feel the need to be alone with me, so…I dunno. I didn’t realize how long I’m gone on Wednesdays.” Kenma hummed as he used his chopsticks to swirl his ramen in hopes that it would cool faster.

“That’s fair. I promise I’ll be okay, and I’ll text you if I’m not,” he replied. Kuroo pursed his lips and nodded.

“Sounds good to me,” he agreed. Kenma lifted the noddles to his lips and blew, only to get broth on his nose. Kuroo laughed and Kenma wiped it before taking a bite.

“Ah…still too hot…”

That night when Kuroo got home he was surprised to find a lack of Kenma on his couch. Normally he’d come home and the other student would be passed out on the couch. If Kuroo wasn’t there to make him take breaks, then he would most definitely fall asleep mid-level. That’s why it was so curious for the apartment to be so empty.

Just as Kuroo was about to call his name, he heard the distinct sound of Kenma’a keyboard clicking from his room. Kuroo snuck over and peeked through the crack in his door, but quickly panicked when Kenma spoke. It took him a moment to realize he was not the one being spoken too.

“I’m always fairly quiet. Are you new?” Kuroo furrowed his brows. What was he saying? A moment passed before Kenna’s voice spoke out again.

“Ah…I guess I’m pretty tired. Maybe that’s why I’m quieter than usual…I had ramen before my roommate left, and he makes it with extra eggs and beef,” he continued with the clicking. Kuroo squinted to get a better look at the monitor. Holy shit was Kenma a _twitch streamer?_

“I’m not really following the mission, sorry. Normally I would, but this game is very expansive…” there was a pause and Kenma rubbed at his nose. “…I guess it is fun to just play instead of find a mission. I forget that sometimes.”

Kuroo decided he shouldn’t be peeking like that, and pulled away. He ran his fingers through his already messy hair and tried to figure out why he was just finding out that Kenma was a freaking _streamer_. Of course he was probably popular too. He probably taught everyone how to finish the games because he was so good at all of them.

Trying not to panic more, Kuroo tip toed back to the front door. He opened and closed it loudly so his presence was obvious. He heard the clicking stop and so he walked over to the kitchen like he normally would.

“Kenma! I’m home!” He announced like _normal_. He could hear Kenna’s hushed goodbyes as he pulled out some left overs, and was surprised to see Kenma come out so quickly. “You’re up,” he acknowledged.

“I am,” Kenma agreed and nodded.

“Rice?” He offered. Kenma shook his head, and Kuroo shrugged before taking it for himself. “Normally you’d be passed out by now.”

“I moved to the PC. It’s harder to fall asleep on that one,” he explained. Kuroo nodded.

“Well,” he popped the rest of the rice ball into his mouth and moved to quickly rinse his hands in the sink. “I should be getting to sleep. I have a ten o’clock class tomorrow,” he said around the food he had stuffed in his cheek. Kenma nodded.

“It was nice seeing you when you got home for once,” Kenma murmured. Kuroo nodded and then moved around him to get to his bedroom door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. Kenma nodded again.

“Tomorrow.”

It was hard to fall asleep after what he had learned about Kenma. After literal decades of friendship, he was surprised that Kenma had lied to him about what he does in his free time. It was such a minor detail too, and the fact that he hide it made Kuroo think there was more to it. What was it? Did he eat food on camera too like those weirdos online? Was there a kink to it? Or was he just embarrassed to admit that he interacted with people even if it was just online? Whatever the reason, Kuroo didn’t like that Kenma felt the need to hide it.

The next morning Kenma was still asleep by the time Kuroo left. He had peeked in his room to make sure, and when he saw the other’s sleeping form curled up and fast asleep he felt a squeeze on his heart. He had gotten used to feeling weird in reaction to Kenma’s ridiculously adorable nature, but it didn’t feel good mixed with this new uncertainty he had developed overnight. He lightly closed the door behind him and scampered off to class.

“If I was Kenma, what would I name my twitch channel?” He hummed to himself as he stared at the search bar on the website. 

His fingers automatically typed out Kenma’s usual screen name, and wasn’t surprised when nothing popped up. If he didn’t tell Kuroo about it already, then of course he wouldn’t use the obvious thing Kuroo would look up. He thought long and hard before typing out his full name. A couple channels popped up, and while he did bother to check them, they both were a waste of time.

“Why would he use his full name online? He never does that…”

Finally, he added Kenma’s old jersey number to his usual screen name, and it popped up immediately.

“Gotcha…holy _shit_.”

The number of followers under Kenma’s name was…impressive to say the least. Kuroo really shouldn’t be surprised that he had gained a substantial following, but he couldn’t help but be gagged at the hours and hours of footage that was on Kenma’s channel. Was he really gone that long? Did he really leave Kenma alone for this many hours after a mere six months? Perhaps he has had this account for longer than that.

“Eight months…last summer must’ve been very boring,” Kuroo murmured to himself.

Before he could get into snooping, his class had begun. He put his phone away for the time being, but the urge to look into it further never went away. It followed him into his second class, and then his study group, and even to the time he was spending with his other friends. Surely they noticed his distracted ticks, but if they did they didn’t say anything. He couldn’t stop checking his phone and just staring at the numbers. It made him feel a strange mixture of emotions…

On one hand, he wasn’t surprised that this many people had found Kenma to be worth watching and following. He could see without watching a single second of footage that Kenma was the type of streamer people could rely on to relax and listen to if he so desired to speak. On the other hand, it was a /lot/ of people, and he wasn’t sure what they were all thinking about when they watched Kenma. The internet is full of creeps, and just thinking about who could possibly be watching Kenma for the wrong reasons made him feel sour. He didn’t want to think any further on it.

By the time Kuroo got home, Kenma was passed out on the couch per usual. It was a little early, but judging by how late he had stayed up last night it was justified. Come to think of it, a lot of his napping made sense if he was streaming for so long and so late while Kuroo was out of the house.

Kuroo quietly set his bags down and kicked his shoes off so he could tend to his sleeping friend. He gently took the switch and set it to the side before scooping Kenma up and carrying him to his room. The golden blond boy hummed in his sleep, and rested his head on Kuroo’s chest almost immediately. Another squeeze on Kuroo’s heart…

“Mm…Kuro,” he mumbled.

“Hush. You’re sleeping,” Kuroo responded as he laid Kenma down. Pale fingers curled into Kuroo’s shirt, and remained stubbornly tight when Kuroo tried to pull back.

“Sleep…” he sighed pulling him in response. Kuroo pursed his lips. Despite never denying the opportunity to nap with Kenma in the past…he really wanted to snoop.

“Kitten, I need to eat.” Did he just say kitten? What was this softness doing to him?

“Eat in the morning. I know you went out with Tooru,” he replied.

“Have you eaten?” Kuroo asked. Kenma peeked an eye open to look at Kuroo and then sighed.

“…not since lunch,” he admitted.

“Then _you_ need to eat too,” he smiled.

“Fine. Onigiri,” he requested simply.

“I finished that last night,” Kuroo reminded him. Kenma let go of his shirt and curled up in his bed. His eyes now closed once again.

“Make more, then.”

Kuroo nodded and patted his head before escaping to the kitchen. He started up the rice cooker, and with a good hour to himself, he started to snoop. With his headphones jammed into his ears, he opened the app again and scrolled through his channel. He furrowed his brows when he realized Kenma even streamed earlier today, and clicked on the broadcast from three hours ago.

Everything Kuroo theorized was absolutely correct. Kenma’s amazing ability to problem-solve and analyze his missions proved to make him the perfect walk through guide. His voice so smooth and calm as he explained the game and what he was doing. Even the way he sat so politely in the corner of the screen was pleasing to watch. It was satisfying to see how well he completed the levels and continued the story with minimal hiccups, and the overall experience was much more pleasant than some other gamers who screamed when they lost. Kenma merely paused his fingers and let out a disappointed sigh before continuing on. It was nice. Kenma was nice. Kuroo already knew this.

After about twenty minutes, he skipped another hour into the stream. He was surprised to see Kenma in one of his jackets and quickly rewinded to see why he had grabbed the garment. He stopped forty-five minutes into the video, and let it play.

“Ah, I am quiet again. Sorry…” his eyes flicked from the game to the chat. “…my roommate had class early this morning. He checked up on me and accidentally woke me up,” he told them. Kuroo felt guilty hearing that, but decided to shake it off. A cute little chime went off, and a donation popped up on the screen.

“When will we see your roommate? He sounds like all he does is go to school,” read the automated voice.

“Never. He is too big for the screen,” Kenma replied almost sharply. His shoulders were tight, but he relaxed them a second later. “He has a full-time schedule. He’s an incredibly hard worker,” he continued. The chime went off again.

“Is he too big in general? Or just too big for you? We know you are not very big in the first place apple-senpai,” the automated voice rambled. Apple-senpai? Kuroo frowned at that, but slightly understood when he saw Kenma roll his eyes. His audience was teasing him.

“He is too big in general. I told you guys. Calling me senpai is weird,” he murmured. Kuroo smirked. He never was a fan of titles like that in high school in their last couple years. Another chime.

“Show us roommate-senpai! We want to see the giant.”

“No.” Another chime.

“Roommate-senpai! I want to see you wear his clothes!”

“Absolutely not.” Another chime.

“Please show us one of roommate-senpai’s jacket so we can see how massive this giant is.”

Kuroo felt himself smirk as he watched Kenma tsk in disapproval on the screen. He then paused the game and walked out of the camera frame. After a few seconds Kuroo skipped ahead until he reappeared holding Kuroo’s old volleyball jacket. It really did look massive in his little kitten hands. Kuroo blinked. Again with kitten…

“Does this please all of you? This was his high school jacket,” he announced holding up the material. His eyes scanned the chat. “It’s an extra large…no, I’m not showing the back because it says my school name…I’m not going to wear-“

He was interrupted by the donation chime and his eyes widened ever so slightly at the number. Ten thousand yen flashed across the screen, and the automated voice was quick to read the message.

“Please wear roommate-senpai’s jacket I will cry if you don’t.” Kenma sighed.

“How manipulative,” he murmured. His cheeks turning red as he wiggled out of his own hoodie and zipped up Kuroo’s Nekoma sports jacket. “I hope you are all happy.”

Before Kuroo could watch anymore, the rice maker dinged and he fumbled his phone. Luckily he caught it before it hit the floor, and he exited out of the app to make dinner. The rice balls were made within minutes, and so all Kuroo had to do was bring them to his sleeping roommate in his bedroom. He took a deep breath and carried the plate to Kenma’s room.

He was still sleeping, and just the sight of him curled up made Kuroo’s heart feel weird. Kenma yawned and blinked at the sound of his door opening, and when he sat up it was clear he was still wearing the sports jacket. Kuroo handed him his plate.

“Thank you,” He murmured. Kuroo nodded.

“Cold?” He asked. Kenma paused and looked up at him.

“…cold?” He repeated. Kuroo pointed to the bright red material.

“You’re wearing my sports jacket. Surprised you can stand the smell,” he grinned.

“I just cleaned it,” Kenma replied ignoring his first question.

“Ah. Thank you. Were you bored of your hoodie?” He asked.

“Since when do you pay such close attention to my clothes?” Kenma asked. Kuroo shrugged.

“I just noticed today,” he said. Kenma hummed and took a bite.

“Thank you for making dinner,” he responded. Kuroo mussed with his hair before walking out and to his own plate of food. Interesting how he avoided the question.

Some more time passed before Kuroo felt the need to really think about it again. He thought about it regardless, and it bothered him that Kenma didn’t tell him about this. The fact that he did it specifically while Kuroo was out was suspicious enough. He didn’t think of Kenma any differently. It was actually kinda cool. Maybe he worried a little more, and he felt like he should stay home more so he didn’t feel so lonely, but he was pretty much the same. He couldn’t help but wonder why Kenma wouldn’t say anything.

Two months later Kenma hit one million followers. Kuroo checked in every once in a while, and he was surprised to witness the numbers turning as it happened. He was on his way home from class, so he stopped by the store to pick up some ice cream to celebrate. It might’ve been a rather tongue and cheek way to announce Kuroo knew about his channel, but he couldn’t think of any other way to do it without being super awkward. Plus, it was a good excuse to get some ice cream.

“Kenma! I’m home!” He shouted as he kicked off his shoes. Kenma poked his head out from his bedroom, and he frowned when he noticed the grocery bag in Kuroo’s hand.

“What did you get?” He asked. Kuroo grinned and set down the bag.

“Ice cream!” He revealed Kenma’s favorite flavor, and the other came out into the kitchen with wide eyes.

“Ice cream…” he repeated. He then furrowed his brows and looked up at Kuroo. “What for?” Kuroo leaned against the counter and placed it directly in front of Kenma.

“One million subscribers, obviously,” he replied with a Cheshire smile. Kenma blinked and then looked down at the tub.

“So you found it,” he acknowledged. Kuroo shrugged.

“A while ago, but I figured if you didn’t say anything you didn’t want to talk about it,” Kuroo replied.

“You assumed correctly,” Kenma nodded once and moved to the cupboard.

“But one million is a big achievement, so I wanted to get you something.”

“Hence, the ice cream,” Kenma sighed and pulled down the bowls. Kuroo nodded.

“Yes. The ice cream.”

Kuroo let Kenma serve them a scoop of ice cream, and then they sat on the couch as they ate together. It was silent between them, but in a different way. They had become accustomed to silence, another piece that just fit, but this was uncomfortable and stiff. Clearly Kenma was excited to learn that Kuroo knew about his streaming and his following.

“Y’know…you don’t have to wait until I leave to stream. I’m not gonna judge you for it,” Kuroo told him.

“That’s not my main concern,” Kenma said before taking a bite.

“Oh? Then what is?” The golden haired boy wrinkled his nose and shivered in response to his big bite and then sighed.

“Kuroo, your curiosity will get the best of you. That much attention is exhausting and it’ll freak you out,” Kenma told him. Kuroo pursed his lips.

“I dunno what you mean…”

“I know if I stream while you’re home you’ll want to see what’s happening. They will see you and it’ll go to your head,” Kenma explained.

“Pfff…maybe.”

“It’s okay, Kuro. I’d rather relax with you than worry about strangers online with you,” Kenma said into his bowls. Kuroo noticed the red tinge to his cheeks and smiled. How cute…

“Alright. Fair enough.”

“Thank you for the ice cream, Kuro,” Kenma said and stood up. He walked into the kitchen and rinsed the empty bowl in the sink and put it in their dishwasher. “Do you watch?” Kenma asked. Kuroo jerked his head in Kenma’s direction.

“Ah?”

“My streams. Do you watch?” He repeated. Kuroo felt his face get hot.

“Oh…haha…uh, maybe once in a while, but…I figured you do it while I’m not home for a reason,” he answered. Kenma hummed and looked down.

“Good to know…”

Despite not knowing what the hell that was supposed to mean, Kuroo went on as normal as he could. He hated to admit that Kenma was right, and his curiosity was killing him. He found himself watching his streams more, and missing him when he was gone for long periods of time.

There was some added tension ever since Kuroo told Kenma he knew. They didn’t hide things from each other, so the whole situation was new to them. Kuroo hated that he did in fact feel a little hurt that Kenma never told him. Kenma felt betrayed that Kuroo didn’t tell him the moment he found out. Despite it all, they still tried to go on as normal, but it wasn’t easy. 

It wasn’t the only tension between them, but it was the strongest and brought out more of those softer tensions. Kuroo’s chest felt tighter at the sight of Kenma in his jackets. Kenma’s cheeks a little redder whenever Kuroo took care of him. Their bodies a little more stiff when they touched each other even if it was for a second.

“My roommate? I only stream when he’s gone,” Kenma hummed. Kuroo was watching him live for once. His class had gone boring, so he pulled his phone out and couldn’t ignore the notification. The donation music filled Kuroo’s headphone, and he smirked at the message.

“Apple-senpai please show us roommate-senpai. We want to see the giant man,” it read. Kenma sighed and shook his head.

“You guys are exhausting…you’d all freak him out with your attention,” he grumbled. Another chime.

“I’ve been struggling with that level for so long! Omg you make it look so easy, thank you.”

“Ah, no problem. It has a lot of puzzles to it, so I can understand your struggle. First time I played it I had to sit on it for a while,” Kenma went on ignoring the chat. Kuroo watched it fill with questions about him. Then the donation chime went off again.

“Apple-senpai please. You talk about Roommate-senpai so much, we can’t help but be curious ;-;.” Kenma turned bright red and covered his face with his palm out of embarrassment.

“Oh my…” The chat was flooded with people pointing out how adorable Kenma looks when he blushes. Another chime.

“Sorry to embarrass you! We all ask about him in the first place, so it’s not your fault you talk about him. Please don’t be mad, Apple-senpai!” Kenma sighed again.

“Lets just focus on this game…”

With that, Kuroo shut off his phone. He was only half way through his current class, and then he had another class right after it. No matter how important the material was, Kuroo just didn’t wanna go. He sighed and glanced at the clock and then at the door. Should he…? Maybe it would piss Kenma off too much…or maybe it would help resolve some of his frustration with his audience. He liked to avoid conflict that was for sure, so he knew he’d never ask Kuroo himself or make a big deal out of it. It was obvious it bothered him though…

“Kenma! I’m home!” He called once he got back to the apartment.

The last time he skipped class was his freshman year in college, so he was feeling a little strange. The apartment was silent, not even Kenma’s keyboard made a sound. Kuroo set down his stuff and took off his shoes before walking over to Kenma’s room and knocking on the door. It was closed, but he didn’t hesitate to open it a crack.

“I got tired, so I skipped class today,” he explained as he walked in. Kenma glared at him from his streaming set up, but Kuroo couldn’t take him very seriously when he was beet red in the face. He smiled. “Oops. Hope I’m not interrupting.” The donation music went off again.

“Holy shit is that roommate-senpai?!?”

“I’m busy right now,” Kenma said calmly. Kuroo came closer and ducked down to look into the webcam.

“Ahh…so this is how you do it,” he hummed.

“Kuro…”

“I was wondering what you used. I figured a bigger camera was too much work for you.”

“…it’s too complicated to set up,” Kenma agreed.

“Right? I dunno how people do it.”

“You were watching earlier, weren’t you?” Kenma asked. Kuroo blinked and pulled away from the camera to look down at Kenma. He looked less mad and more relieved that Kuroo was there. He shrugged.

“I might’ve dropped in. I was in long enough to hear all the harassment about me,” he replied truthfully. Kenma’s eyes shifted away as he blushed.

“They are very incessant. I’m sorry if it tempted your curiosity,” he said. Kuroo pursed his lips and then mussed with his roommates hair.

“It’s no biggie. Hopefully they’ll leave you alone about it now that the giant has been revealed,” he teased with a grin. Kenma sighed and fixed his hair.

“Leave before it goes to your head, Kuro,” he said dismissively. Kuroo chuckled and walked away.

“Sure thing. What do you want for lunch?” He asked from the door frame.

“Mm…ramen sounds good,” Kenma answered.

“We just had ramen.”

“You make good ramen.” Kuroo smiled at that.

“I’ll see what I can do then.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know much about Japanese culture sorry :(


End file.
